The US and China are headed towards an inevitable conflict if Washington does not change its strategy, the new Chinese Foreign Minister said at a press conference in which he defended the strengthening of his country’s relationship with Russia.
In his first appearance before the media as foreign minister, held this Tuesday on the sidelines of the “two sessions” political meeting , Qin Gang outlined the Chinese foreign policy agenda for the coming years, presenting China and its relationship with Russia as a beacon of strength and stability and with the United States and its allies as a source of tension and conflict
Qin has said that the United States claims it wants to outdo China but does not seek conflict, “but in reality, the supposed competence of the United States is total containment and suppression, a zero-sum game in which you die and I live”.
“If the US does not step on the brake and continues to accelerate on the wrong path, there will be no guardrail that can prevent derailment and there will surely be conflict and confrontation,” the minister said.
Qin has defended the close friendship between China and Russia, a relationship closely watched from the West in light of the war in Ukraine. The minister has said that the ties between Beijing and Moscow “are an example for world foreign relations.”
“With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force,” he said. “The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to deepen their relations.”
The minister has indicated that there is “close contact” between the leaders of both countries and that relations between “heads of state” constitute the anchor of the relationship. “The strategic partnership […] will undoubtedly grow in strength.”
Qin’s comments coincide with Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s speech to political delegates on Monday, in which he censured what he called the US-led “suppression” of China.
“Western countries, led by the United States, have carried out a complete containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented serious challenges to our country’s development,” he said.
Relations between China and the United States have deteriorated sharply in recent years, and efforts to fix them were thwarted earlier this year when the United States shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying in US airspace . China claims that this was an accident caused by “force majeure” and that the United States overreacted.
